With
the rise of memory hungry applications like browsers with rich web
content, DirectX 11/OpenGL video games, and an ever expanding wealth
of business software, the time for 64-bit software is obviously now.
Some companies -- like Apple -- heeded the call early. Others
like Adobe (Flash), have yet to make a move on many flagship
products. But Microsoft may just convince those laggards to
act, with the success of Windows 7 64-bit edition.

Early
numbers from video game download service Valve indicated
Windows 7 64-bit adoption to be quite high. On Thursday,
Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc confirmed these
numbers, reporting that as of June 2010 46 percent of Windows 7
installs were 64-bit. This number is dramatically high, when
compared to Windows Vista, which had only 11 percent 64-bit installs,
or Windows XP, which had less than 1 percent 64-bit installs.

The
biggest advantage of the leap to 64-bit is the increase in the amount
of addressable memory. 32-bit systems can only address up to 4
GB. With 64-bit Windows 7 up to 192 GB of memory is
addressable.

One key factor to adoption was Microsoft's
insistence that hardware partners make their devices compatible with
the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Writes LeBlanc:

Through
the Windows Logo Program (the “Compatible with Windows 7" logo
today), hardware partners are required to develop 64-bit drivers for
their devices and software partners are required to have their
applications compatible with 64-bit Windows 7. This groundwork was
laid with the Windows Logo Program for Windows Vista and carries
through to today with Windows 7.

Businesses
are loving Windows 7 64-bit -- in fact Gartner predicts that by
2014 75 percent of business PCs will be running a 64-bit
edition of Windows. Intel, which opted out of the "Vista
experience", recently completed a massive
adoption [PDF] of 64-bit Windows 7 and has loved the results
thus far.